After the European Union earlier this year announced its one charger policy for all EU consumers, now India intends to come up with a similar plan in an attempt to cut down the e-waste that is produced every year in the country. The country is mulling over a standard charger policy which will mandate all smart devices to be charged with one single USB Type-C charger. As per the Union government’s secretary for consumer affairs Rohit Kumar, the stakeholders at a meeting of an inter-ministerial task force have agreed to the adoption of USB Type-C as a common charging port for all smart devices.
The government is holding wide-ranging consultations as it plans to have two standard chargers- one for all smart devices including smartphones and the other for low-cost feature phones. The new policy aims to reduce a large amount of e-waste that is produced every year in India.
“During the meeting, a broad consensus emerged among stakeholders on the adoption of USB Type-C as a charging port for electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops. Further, it was deliberated that a different charging port may be adopted for feature phones,” Singh was quoted by Mint.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India has witnessed a sharp spike in the growth of e-waste since 2018. The data reveal that India produced 7.71 lakh tonnes of e-waste in 2018-2019 which increased to 10.14 lakh tonnes in 2019-2020. A separate ASSOCHAM-EY report states that India is estimated to have produced 5 million tonnes of e-waste in 2021.
The increasing e-waste across the globe has rung warning bells with several countries and regions now considering shifting to a universal charger policy. The European Union last month passed a new law which mandates all new smartphones, tablets and cameras to have a single standard charger from late 2024. The rule will be extended to laptops from spring 2026.
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